I loved Ahmed's Love, Hate and Other Filters. I heard about this new book over the summer and have had it on my To Read list for a long time. Ahmed wastes no time jumping straight into the conflict in this warning novel. After one brief moment with her boyfriend, Layla Amin's world forever changes when officers show up at her house. A police officer from her own town closes Layla and her parents into his patrol car, and the nightmare begins. The Amins along with other Muslims are processed and transferred to an internment camp.
Once the shock starts to wear off, Layla and a few other young people begin thinking about how they can stand up to the powers who are keeping him there. Unfortunately, it's not that hard for Ahmed or any of us readers to imagine what internment of a group of people looks like, because history provides us too many instances of when a nation has turned against its own citizens in the name of "safety" or "security." However, what Ahmed's book does is bring this idea to 2019. To now. And what makes this book so painful is that even though you know it's not real, it sadly, seems like it could be. When we look around at events and attitudes in our government and nation, it sickens me to think that a book like this even needs to exist.
But it does. Ahmed takes history and adds technology and more surveillance. It's telling that the first thing the Exclusion Authority officers do is take the Amins' phones. Social media and journalism play an important role in the story and to Layla's resistance. At the very beginning, the reader, along with the internees, are cautious as they figure out what exactly is going on. I knew what was coming because I knew what this book was about. But Ahmed moves forward quickly, and every chapter adds more complications to the prisoners' plight and raises the stakes for these American citizens whose rights have been stripped away.
This book is important not only because of its portrayal of the internment of citizens, but mainly because of how it reminds us that we are ALL an important part of the resistance. Layla does not sit still and just let things happen to her. Others support her and do what they can to help her voice be heard. But they do what she needs. They don't talk over her. They support her. They do what she asks. That's an important message for allies. It's about supporting people who need your help. Shut your mouth and amplify the stories of others. Let your actions speak louder than your words. Be there. Show up.
I taught about Chinese Exclusion last year, and I've wanted to teach When the Emperor Was Divine for a while now. I think this book is important, and I am going to get as many copies as I can into my classroom and into my book club rotations. I know it will inspire important conversations. I thank Ms. Ahmed for this story and for her voice.
